Cruise 1999

August 15, 1999 we set sail for Cozimel, Grand Cayman Islands and Jamaica. We were on our way to a Western Caribbean Adventure. After spending the night in Miami we were eager to get under way. Adventure was on our minds and excitement was in our hearts.

First Port of Call was Cozimel, Mexico. The ocean is a deep sapphire blue surrounding the island of Cozimel. Many beautiful hotels dot the shoreline.ClickWe were going to snorkel off the reef.Click Sounds like a relaxing and fun day? Right! I never did make it to the reef. No one told us that we would swim one mile before we reached the reef.Click I churned along in the water doing my usual dog-paddle for a ways and soon the instructor started to tow me with a foam life preserver...after a few minutes of that I decided I had enough and the boat pulled along side of me and I tried to get back into the boat. WRONG! I couldn't get back into the boat cause the ladder rungs were too far apart for my legs to reach. With a whole lot of help from the crew I managed to get into the boat and declared that my snorkeling days were over. At least for that cruise.Click

Second port of call was Grand Cayman Islands. We opted for a land tour and it proved to be the highlight of the cruise. Seven Mile is a white sand beach where snorkeling and swimming are enjoyed. ClickWe saw where Columbus got ship wreck on his fifth visit to the New World. Visited the Tortuga Rum FactoryClick where their speciality is rum cake...yum-yum.

But best of all we visited a Sea Turtle Farm. I was totally amazed at how beautiful Sea Turtles are. Their shells are beautiful. When they hatch they are approximately 2 inches long Click and they grow Clickand grow Click to approximately the size of a kitchen table in a few short years.Click They can live to be 300 years old. Sea Turtles date back to the time of the dinosaurs. Endangered species turtles are raised on the farm and released into the wild. ClickJohn took my picture holding a turtle. I loved the Sea Turtles.

Sea Turtles lay their eggs in the sand on the beach at night Click and are harvested in the morning and raised in an incubator. A turtle lays an average of 150 eggs a year. The tour guide explained that in order to have an equal number of male and female turtles they are incubated at 80 degree temperature. Amazing! Turtles are used as food in the Grand Cayman Islands. Here is the web site for the Turtle Farm.Click

Last port of call was Jamaica. We visited the waterfalls in Ocho RiosClick People climb the falls using a human chain.Click Also a sugar cane and pineapple plantation.We rode through the plantation on a jitney.Click Flowers grew everywhere.Click Jamaican dollars are 38 to one of our USA dollars. The haves and have-nots are very obvious in Jamaica. No in-betweens. Either you got it or you don't. And if you don't you are dirt poor. Education costs money there. No free schools. Probably the main reason for so many poor people.

A priest was on board the ship and we attended Mass when we were out to sea. It was wonderful seeing people on vacation filing into the salon, where the Mass was held. Always time for the important stuff I always say.

The ship we traveled on was a non-smoking ship.Click That means the crew and passengers were non-smokers. What a relief to not worry about smelly cigarette or cigar smoke.

Of course Mr. Piggy aka John out did himself in the dessert department.Click Would you believe four desserts at one sitting? Believe it! We were 11 for dinner. Two strangers who in a few short seconds became friends.Click

Great Adventure? YES! Fun? YES! Would I do it again? YES!